Radclyffe - Wild Shores

Gem pushed strands of hair away from her face as the wind picked up. The sky darkened and a bank of clouds drifted across the sun. “Yes, all along the coastline, really. If we get another round like yesterday, we’re going to lose a lot of this beach.”

“What about the turtles?”

“It depends on when they hatch. Once they get to the sea, they’ll head for deep water, and if a larger predator doesn’t get them, they’ll spend years alone, just growing to maturity before they mate. It’s late in the season, but a few species do hatch this time of year. If we get hit hard before they hatch, Emily’s going to be sitting out here with an umbrella, if I know her.”

“You’re kidding about that, right?” Austin frowned. “We’re talking about a big storm, Gem. Possible hurricane intensity, and projections have it headed right for you. All of you ought to vacate here.”

Gem frowned and gave her an odd look. “Don’t you mean all of us? You’re not planning on staying in town if things get bad, are you?”

Austin hedged. “I’m not sitting on a little spit of land with the ocean a couple hundred yards away.”

“I don’t think any of us will be leaving. We’ve ridden out plenty of storms here before.”

Austin took in the shoreline in both directions. The inland sanctuary areas Gem had shown her were only a few hundred yards away. An oil spill, if it reached this far, would endanger everything in the sanctuary. They couldn’t let that happen. She’d seen it now. She’d fulfilled Eloise’s orders. She had no reason to stay, and she’d already said too much to Gem. “I should let you get back to work.”

Gem studied her, as if trying to decipher the sudden distance. “You probably have work to do too.”

“I do.” Austin smiled, thinking about the work she truly enjoyed. “Ciri is about to wage an epic battle, and the future of the universe hinges on her vanquishing Charos.”

Gem laughed. “Oh really? And if she fails?”

“Then the door to the underworld will blow open, and Charos’s forces will pour forth to wreak havoc and terror on the unsuspecting populace.”

“And I don’t suppose we’ll find out the outcome of the battle in the next volume, will we?”

“Well…” Austin shrugged, grinning. The wind picked up more and she zipped her jacket against the chill. “That wouldn’t be the best marketing plan.”

“Do you storyboard it, or do you do one panel at a time?”

“You do know your graphic novels, don’t you?”

“I told you I was a fan.”

“Some brief sketches, but mostly I go panel by panel.”

“You still haven’t invited me up to see your…sketches yet.”

“Will you come?” Austin had no right to open these doors, but she couldn’t stop. Didn’t want to stop.

“Absolutely.”

“Then as soon as I can, I will.” She didn’t know when that might be or how she would manage it, but she would. She wanted to share that with Gem. She wanted Gem to see what mattered to her. “So I guess I should go.”

“How about something warm for the road? My cabin’s not too far.”

She didn’t have much time. The window of clear weather was closing and decisions had to be made. She had a bird to catch back out to the rig. She checked her watch. “If I told you I only had an hour—”

“Then I’d say we should hurry.”

Chapter Sixteen

Austin took Gem’s hand and followed her along the winding path from the shore back into the sanctuary. Stiff, damp cattails, four feet high, growing up to the edges of the narrow trail, brushed her pants and soaked the material below her knees. Occasional tufts of wispy material from the dark brown seed cones drifted off and stuck to her skin.

“These reeds,” Gem said as they walked, “are prime habitat for the birds and lots of other wildlife. They also keep the shore erosion down.” She laughed, her face radiant with pleasure. “They’re hell on clothes, though.”

“I’m having a hard time seeing you in a lab,” Austin said. “You must feel pretty cooped up.”

Gem’s mouth twisted and she nodded. “Sometimes I do, but the other part of my work is valuable and feeds other needs, so I just look forward to the times I can escape.”

Escape. Austin never considered that a possibility. She’d carved out two separate lives for herself—the one her family and, if she was honest, she considered worthy of the family image, and the other a private one, the one that fed her secret self. Choices she’d made. “I’m glad. I’d hate thinking of you trapped inside when you didn’t want to be.”

Gem squeezed her hand. “Thank you.”

The way Gem said it made Austin think she’d done something special, and she warmed inside even as the skin on the back of her neck and hands grew clammy with the tendrils of fog that skirted through the rushes and closed in around them. The clouds had coalesced into a thick gray blanket, blotting out what little sunshine there’d been just moments before. She ought to get back to the airport and let Tatum know she was ready for a lift back to the rig, but she’d always been a gambler, and the stakes were high this time. She might not see Gem again for days, and when she did, it wouldn’t be like this. They wouldn’t be holding hands and walking along in silent communion.

She didn’t need to study the odds or the weather-satellite images to know the storm was on its way, and the company couldn’t wait any longer. If, when she returned, Tatum and Reddy didn’t have a far more positive report than they’d had that morning, she’d have to push Eloise to go public. The turning point was upon them, from both PR and ethical positions. When she saw Gem again, they’d likely be on opposite sides of the problem—at least that had always been her experience when dealing with the environmentalists. She could overcome that initial animosity almost every time, with patience and logic and good-faith cooperation on the part of the company. But the personal had never entered into it, and everything about her interaction with Gem so far had been personal. Very, very personal.

If she continued down this path, they’d get even more complicated.

Gem slowed and Austin drew up beside her. A weathered cabin squatted in a small clearing surrounded by trees and more marsh grass. Austin saw nothing else in either direction except more wild, dense terrain.

“This is it,” Gem said, “home.”

“I see you’re not much for neighbors.”

Gem smiled wryly. “You know, I was thinking something like that this morning. Back in the city, I’ve got neighbors everywhere, although they’re really strangers who just happen to live nearby. Out here, there’s just me.”

“And you’re good with that.”

“Most of the time.” Gem tugged her hand. “Although not right this moment. Come inside.”

Austin could say no—she had one last chance to keep things less complicated. The heat of Gem’s hand penetrated the fog reaching out like ghostly fingers, and she followed Gem onto the small porch, through the narrow door, and into the cabin. Gem lit a couple of lamps and the space brightened with a warm glow, chasing the chill away.

In a quick glance, Austin took in the one room. Someone had done a good job of designing the space—everything necessary was there: microwave, small fridge, equally small range, a table / work area, a small sitting area with a love seat and matching chair to relax in, and just visible in an alcove jutting off the rear, a bed. The bathroom must be back there too.

“Looks pretty cozy,” Austin said.

“It is.” Gem glanced around. “Sometimes I feel like I’m in a cave, but that doesn’t bother me.”

“My place isn’t a whole lot bigger.” Austin laughed. “I’ve probably got a room more than I need. When I’m working, I don’t care if I never move, so all I really need is a desk and a chair. Well, that and maybe cinnamon buns.”